AMENDMENTS
to the
Rules of Procedure (
1
)
of the European Parliament
Rule I (2)
Add the following:
'Diputados del Parlamento Europeo' in Spanish,
'Deputados do Parlamento Europeu' in Portuguese
Rule 12 (I)
Replace. 'ten Members' by 'thirteen Members'
Rule 14 (I)
Replace 'twelve' by 'fourteen'
Rule 21 (I)
Replace 'twelve Vice-Presidents' by 'fourteen Vice-Presidents'
Rule 26 (5)
Replace 'twenty-one', 'fifteen' and 'ten' by 'twenty-three', 'eighteen' and 'twelve' respectively
Rule 33
To read as follows:
1. The President, a minimum of23 Members or a commit-tee may propose to Parliament that a request for an opinion or for advice submitted pursuant to Rule 32 be referred to the appropriate committee with the power to take a decision.
2. A decision shall be taken on this proposal at the begin-ning of the sitting following that during which Parliament was informed thereof. Parliament shall, if necessary after hearing one speaker in favour and one against, vote on the proposal. If at least one-tenth of the current Members of Parliament arc opposed to the referral to committee for a decision, this referral shall not take place.
3. Where one-third of the members of the committee to which a request for an opinion or for advice has been referred pursuant to paragraph 2 request that the matter be referred back to Parliament, the procedure provided for in Rule 32 shall apply.
4. Where paragraphs l and 2 are applied, the usual rules governing discussions in committee shall apply. However, the committee meeting at which a decision is to be taken shall be open to the public; the agenda for this meeting and any deadline for tabling amendments, shall be published in the EP Bulletin.
5. The opinion of the committee shall include the commit-tee's views on the proposal on which Parliament has been consulted, together with any amendments and the result of the vote pursuant to Rule I 00 (3). The opinion may take the form of a letter.
6. Once the committee responsible has adopted its deci-sion pursuant to this Rule, the President shall inform Parlia-ment thereof at the beginning of the next sitting and the committee's decision shall be recorded in the minutes of that sitting.
Delete the text in italics.
Rule 34
To read as follows:
2. The proposal and. where appropriate. the motion for a resolution contained in the report shall be put to the vote without debate unless a political group or at least 13 Members of Parliament lodge a protest in advance. In the latter case the report shall be placed on the draft agenda of a subsequent part-session with debate. Where it had been decided to apply the procedure without report pursuant to Rule 99 ( 1 ). howev-er. the Commission proposal shall be referred back to the committee responsible for reconsideration.
Rule 42 (1). first subparagraph
Replace 'five or more Members' by 'seven or more Members'
Rule 42 (5), first subparagraph: ditto
Rule 45 (1)
Ditto
Rule 48 (1)
Replace 'twenty-one Members' by 'twenty-three Members'
Rule 48 (2), second subparagraph: ditto
Rule 54a
Replace 'three votes' and 'twenty-one Members' by 'four votes' and 'twenty-three Members' respectively
Rule 56 (1)
Rule 57
To read as follows:
I. A request that a debate on a proposal on which Parlia-ment has been consul ted pursuant to Rule 32 (I) be treated as urgent may be made to Parliament by the President, by at least twenty-three Members. by a committee, by the Com-mission or by the Council. This request shall be made in writing and supported by reasons.
2. As soon as the President has received a request for urgent debate. he shall inform Parliament thereof; the vote on that request shall be taken at the beginning of the sitting following that during which notification was given of the request, provided that the proposal to which the request relates has been distributed in the official languages. Where there arc several requests for urgent debate on the same sub-ject. the approval or rejection of the request for urgent debate shall apply to all the requests on the same subject.
3. Before the vote, only the person making the request. one speaker in favour, one speaker against, and the chairman and/or rapporteur of the committee responsible may be heard. in each case for a maximum of three minutes. 4. Questions to be dealt with by urgent procedure shall be given priority over other items on the agenda. The President shall determine the time of the debate and vote.
5. An urgent debate may be held without a report pursuant to Rule 99 (I) or. exceptionally. on the basis of an oral report by the committee responsible.
Rule 71 (3) and (5)
Replace 'ten Members' by 'thirteen Members'
Rule 74 (3). second subparagraph
Rule 77 (1)
Ditto
Rule 85
To read as follows:
l. Referral back to committee may be requested by any Member at any time, during the debate before final voting begins, subject to Rule 81 (2).
A request for referral back to committee may also be made at the beginning of each pan-session, during the discussion of the draft agenda, subject to the same conditions as for an amendment to the draft agenda pursuant to Rule 56 (1).
Application of Rule 36 (21 docs not preclude a request/or referral hack to committee pursuant to Rule 85.
The rote shall he taken immediately on the request for referral back to comm11tee.
(f( a ch,•ck 011 the quorum has been requested and the quorum IS nol presenr. the prorisions o( Rull' 71 (J).final sentence and Rule 85 (2J shall not apply and Parlia-ment shall proccl'd ll'ith thl' debate.!
2. The matter shall be referred back to the committee responsible where, pursuant to Rule 71 (3), two votes have been taken following a request for a check on the quorum, without the quorum being present.
Paragraph 2 shall not apply to rates on procedural motions but only to rates on the subject maucr ilse(t:
3. Referral back to committee shall entail suspension of the discussion and vote in plenary sitting on the amendments, and the vote on the motion for a resolution. If the request for referral back to committee is accepted after a Member has already spoken on behalf of a political group, only one Mem-ber may speak from each political group which has not yet provided a speaker in that debate.
4. When referring a matter back to the committee respon-sible, Parliament may set a time limit within which the com-mittee shall report its conclusions.
5. If a motion requesting referral back to committee is rejected, it shall not be tabled again during that debate.
Rule 86 (l)
Replace 'ten Members' by 'thirteen Members'
Rule 88 Ditto
Rule 92 (2) Ditto
Rule 96 (2)
Replace 'nine Members' by 'twelve Members'
Rule 99 (1), second subparagraph Replace 'three Members' by 'four Members'
Rule 99 (2), second subparagraph Replace 'three Members' by 'four Members' (twice)
Rule 111 (4)
Replace 'ten Members' by 'thirteen Members'
ANNEX III Article 2 (2)
Article 3 (4), sec..·ond subparagraph
Replace 'three votes' and 'twenty-one Members' by 'four votes' and 'twenty-three Members' respectively
Article 5 (3)
Replace 'five Members' by 'seven Members'
Article 6 (I) Ditto
